Open Door Warminster was conceived around a kitchen table at the start of the pandemic. Six people who didn’t know each other but were united by a desire to make a difference for anyone feeling isolated or excluded from the community. Now, the pandemic clearly put isolation, and the associated loneliness that comes with it,…
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Dr Helen MacIntyre and Robin Hewings – Campaign to End Loneliness This week saw the publication of stakeholder research, commissioned by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) and carried out by the Campaign to End Loneliness (CEL), ‘Tackling loneliness interventions and their evaluation’. The report is based on findings from interviews, a survey…
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Hi, I’m Molly Taylor, a passionate activist dedicated to combatting youth loneliness both locally and nationally over the past couple of years. My journey into this cause began when I, at the age of 21, faced the stark reality of loneliness for the very first time. However, this solitude evolved into a chronic condition that…
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Dr Marc Abraham OBE, or ‘Marc the Vet’ as he’s usually known, is a multi-award-winning veterinary surgeon, author, broadcaster, and animal welfare campaigner. Based in Brighton, Marc is also the co-founder and secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG), appears regularly in the media, and visits local schools to chat with pupils about…
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For Samaritans, July represents Talk To Us month, where the leading suicide prevention charity reminds everyone that its 23,000 listening volunteers are available 24/7, providing emotional support to anyone struggling. Here, Lorraine, a listening volunteer at Birmingham Samaritans, shares what she’s learnt about loneliness and her experiences of being there for people who need to…
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Elle Thwaites is an AHRC-funded PhD candidate in sociology at the University of Leeds, and has recently been on placement with the Campaign to End Loneliness. Loneliness has received new-found levels of attention in recent years. The covid-19 pandemic got us all talking about the importance of social connection and the difficulty of experiencing loneliness. …
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What lies ahead for the next five years of loneliness?  On Wednesday 21 June, we brought together a community of passionate individuals and key thinkers to discuss how we can address loneliness in the next five years. The event was chaired by Sarah O’ Grady, Social Affairs Correspondent of the Daily Express, with panellists Noreena…
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Dr Amy Johnson, Dr Gill McGill and Dr Gemma Wilson-Menzfeld Feelings of loneliness and isolation can fluctuate through life events or life transitions, such as becoming a parent, retiring from work, and through bereavement. Experiences of loneliness and social isolation are distinct and can be life-long for Military Widows whose significant other has been killed…
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Elle Thwaites is an AHRC-funded PhD candidate in sociology at the University of Leeds, and is currently on placement with the Campaign to End Loneliness.   It’s no secret that in recent years, many aspects of life have been relocated to online spaces. We video call friends and family, meet our colleagues on Zoom, take…
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Anxiety is the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week. For social anxiety in particular, there is a two-way relationship with loneliness: when we are socially anxious we are more likely to become lonely. When we are lonely, we are more likely to become social anxious.  Given the week, it was fitting to spend…
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